Obama administration plans to send two Guantanamo detainees to Algeria

7/26/13 2:37 PM EDT

The Defense Department notified Congress on Friday that it intends to send two Guantanamo Bay detainees back to Algeria, White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.

"As the president has said, the United States remains determined to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay," Carney said, and the repatriation of the two detainees -- the first releases this year -- are "in support of those efforts."

"We are taking this step in consultation with the Congress, and in a responsible manner that protects our national security," he added.

Two Uyghurs -- Chinese Muslims -- were released to El Salvador in 2012, and Omar Khadr, a Canadian national, was sent home in September 2012 to finish out the remainder of his sentence. The most recent round of repatriation outside the Western Hemisphere happened in early 2010 and included the return of two Algerians to their home country.

"We continue to call on Congress to join us in supporting these efforts by lifting the current restrictions that significantly limit our ability to transfer detainees out of Guantanamo, even those who have been approved for transfer," Carney said.

The Obama administration has been calling on Congress to end the ban on repatriating Guantanamo detainees to Yemen, which was put in place soon after the attempted Christmas Day 2009 bombing by a suspect who was trained in Yemen.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) met with White House officials including counsel Kathy Ruemmler and counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco last week to discuss the release of some detainees.

Feinstein said in a statement Friday that she supports the administrations plan to repatriate the two detainees and that it is "an important step toward closing the prison once and for all."

“I renew my call to send the other 84 detainees cleared for transfer out of Guantanamo," she added. "These transfers have been impeded by congressional action, and I strongly support the provisions in this year’s defense authorization bill, as approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee, that will provide more flexibility to the commander-in-chief.”